Backlash
by Archangel120
Summary: Tiffany's been kidnapped by Damien. Josh and the NCIS team are looking for her. Sequel to Frame-Up.
1. Prologue

Backlash: Prologue

*A/N: The sections in italics are first person journal entries from Tiffany and the normal text is third person overview. Thiswas also the Epilogue for _Backlash_'s prequel, _Frame-Up_*

_11/5/10_

_ I've been here for two days now. I'm not being treated like a lowly prisoner. The room I'm in is in a basement, but it's nice. I have a bed, a desk, and a TV with a DVD player. I've been writing to keep myself sane. I think I'll lose my mind eventually. I'll need a new notebook soon, I've almost filled this one up. Anyways, time to watch _Ladyhawke_, again._

…...…...

She'd been missing for the last two days. No note, no nothing. That's been the main focus for the NCIS team; Jake, Nate, Amy, Cole, and Caitlin have focused their energy on trying to find her. Josh has been worried, so he's showed up to NCIS everyday to help them with the investigation. They could work all day and find nothing. They won't give up, though. They've been following Damien's electronic trail since the incident, and so far nothing's come up. They're no closer to finding Tiffany then they were two days ago.

"So, what do we do now?" Josh asked. "I think we've tried everything short of a complete history rebuild on this guy."

"I don't know, Josh," Nate said. "The only thing I can think of is talking to people that appear in both of their pasts."

"Well, let's do that if it'll help," Josh told him.

"First thing we'd have to do is find a common tie in their pasts, which'll be very easy because I already know one. San Francisco, CA. Seven years ago."

"Let's look then."

"It's late, let's do it in the morning," Nate told Josh.

"Fine. The morning, then," Josh said with a resentful tone of voice.

Josh left, and Nate, after shutting down his computer, followed suit. They'd start the search in the morning for a possible lead to where Tiffany was right now.


	2. Chapter 1: Thinking Back

Backlash: Chapter 1: Thinking Back

_11/6/10_

_ Still here. I think I might be able to go for a walk through the town tomorrow and see where I am. Based on the time the sun sets, I'm fairly certain I'm somewhere along the Atlantic Coast. I just don't know where. It's getting colder outside, so I'd guess I'm somewhere north of Washington D.C. Damien keeps coming down to see me, probably trying to make nice for kidnapping me and knocking out Josh. I miss him. Not much else to do but write and watch the same movies over and over again. If there's a post office in town, I'll get the address and send a letter, most likely to NCIS because everyone's probably there trying to find me, especially Josh. Well, it's getting late, so I think I'll hit the sack. Night._

…...

It was raining in Washington D.C. The weather outside reflected the moods of the team of three working to try and find Tiffany after she was captured a few days ago. Jake, Nate, and Josh were the only ones in today. Cole had to go to a security conference in France and Amy had fell on her way to work and broke her arm. She'd be out for _at _least 3 weeks. Following an idea brought up late last night, they were trying to find common links between Tiffany and her captor, Damien. They were in San Francisco about seven years ago, so they're trying there first.

"This is getting us _nowhere_," Jake said, exasperated. They'd been at it for over an hour and found _no_ common ties between Damien, Tiffany, and San Francisco. Yet.

"Wait, I think I've found something," Nate said. "According to her file, she used to work at the NCIS office there. You think anybody she used to work with is still there?"

"Maybe, maybe not. But it's the only lead we've found so far, so we may as well follow up on it," Josh said.

"I'm going up to MTAC," Nate told them. "You guys wanna come?"

"Sure," Jake responded.

"Am I allowed to?" Josh asked. "Isn't that for special agents and directors and other employees at NCIS only?"

"Yes, but I think that, considering the circumstances, they won't mind," Nate told him.

As they were walking up to MTAC, Caitlin, the forensic scientist at NCIS, came running and caught up with them. "Where you guys going?" she asked.

"MTAC, you wanna come?" Nate told/asked her.

"Sure, might as well."

Nate used the retina scanner at the door to unlock it, and the group of four entered MTAC.

"What can I do for you guys?" the man working in MTAC asked.

"We need to talk to the San Francisco office about a case," Nate told them. "Could you call them and ask if they'd talk to us?"

"What case?" he probed.

"The case of the kidnapping of the director of a federal agency, that case," Nate replied.

"Just give me a minute to call them," he told them. When his attention went to his phone, they talked amongst themselves.

"You think they'll say they'll talk with us?" Josh asked.

"I don't see a reason why they wouldn't," Jake told him.

"Besides, it's concerns the kidnapping of the director. They'll _definitely_ talk with us," Nate added.

"Now work?" the question was asked so suddenly, they jumped.

"Does now work for what?" Jake asked.

"Does now work to talk to San Francisco?" the response was another question.

"Definitely," they said simultaneously.

"Okay. They're coming on in two," the man told them. "Headsets are over here on the table."

Caitlin, Nate, Josh, and Jake each grabbed a headset and took a seat, waiting.

With a quick flash, the screen changed from the bars that occupied the screen when they weren't in use was replaced with an almost mirror image of the room they were in now.

"Hi, all. Special Agent in Charge Jason Scott reporting," the man, Jason, introduced himself. "Now why did Washington need to speak with us today?" His voice wasn't sarcastic; he obviously didn't know why this video conference was set up.

"It concerns the kidnapping of the Director," Nate started. "Have any of your employees worked there for about the last seven years?"

"Let me see... Yeah, Kate has. Would you like to speak with her?"

"If it's possible," Jake answered.

A moment later, a woman appeared on-screen.

"Special Agent Kate Scott," she introduced herself. "What would you like to know about Tiffany?"

"What did she do there?" Nate asked.

"Well, she wasn't here long. She worked here maybe 4 months before she got transferred to Washington. She mainly did desk work, but she'd occasionally go out and do field work."

"Did her boyfriend, Damien, ever come in to pick her up? Josh asked.

"Yeah, a few times. Don't know why she stuck with him, though."

"Why do you say that?"

"He was quite annoying, actually. Singing all the time. It drove _me_ crazy, but I guess she liked it."

"Did you notice anything about him? Anything uncommon for San Francisco?

"Not really. Wait, now that you mention it, he had an accent at first, but lost it fairly quickly."

"What kind of accent?" Josh probed.

"New York, I think. He'd sometimes mention something about the Atlantic, so I'd guess that he either lived on the coast or worked near it."

A lead. A _real_ lead. "Thanks, Kate. We'll be in touch if we need anything."

"One last question: Are you related to James Scott?"

"Yeah, I was," she answered.

"We're all sorry for your loss."

"Thanks. Well, hope you find Tiffany soon. We'd been great friends. Still occasionally write to each other."

"Don't worry, we'll find her," Jake said. They cut off.

"Well, that was educational," Nate said.

"It was, we learned something about where she may be," Josh said.

"Explain, please?" Jake asked.

Josh went to start, but was beat to it by Caitlin. "It obvious. Most people will, at one point in time, go back to where they were born. He had a New York accent, so he lived in NY. Also, he talked about the Atlantic a little bit, so he'd probably be somewhere on the Atlantic coastline of NY,"

"Now that'd be a little _too_ obvious," Jake pointed out.

"Let's go check it out, just to be sure," Josh said.

"Maybe."

"Come on, what other lead do we have?" Josh asked, desperation creeping into his voice.

"Let's see if we can find another lead," Nate said. "If we come up empty, we can go to New York, okay?"

"Okay," Josh replied, although it was clear he wasn't in total agreement.

"Let's all go home, it's late," Nate told them.

"Alright," they said. They left MTAC, with Caitlin heading down to the parking garage to head home and Nate, Josh, and Jake went back to the squad room to close up and shut down for the night. When that was done, they left.


	3. Chapter 2: Things Brought to Light

Backlash: Chapter 2: Things Brought to Light

_11/7/10_

_ Damien and I are going to walk around the town later. He wants to show me the sights. No strings attached. I still don't like him, even though he's gone as far to say he'd get tired of buying notebooks and is just going to buy me a little netbook. No Internet, though. I keep writing to bide my time. He did bring my CD collection from home, but nothing to listen to it with. I know he's not punishing _me_ by doing this; he's trying to get to Josh. They'll find me eventually. Until then, more writing (or after today, typing)and watching movies until I fall asleep at night. How much longer will I be here?_

…...

"Nothing, absolutely _nothing_!" Nate exclaimed. They'd been looking for an hour and found _nothing_ about Damien that could hint to where he'd have gone. "What _do_ we have?"

"We have a possible location," Jake said. "Albeit it's the entire Atlantic Coastline of New York."

"What about San Francisco?" Josh asked. "He could be there."

"If he did, he'd have payed for the flight with cash. But he most likely didn't go there," Nate said.

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, when you look at it, _would_ she have gone willingly with Damien?" the rhetorical question was asked by Nate. They all knew the answer, which was no. "So that pretty much means she was taken by force, and how do you forcefully take somebody aboard an airplane? Off is one thing; on is another story."

"What if he's got his own plane?" Josh probed. He really didn't want to give up.

"Even if he did, a flight plan would've had to have been made and cleared with the flight control of the airspace, and _no_ flight plans were scheduled between that night and the following morning. All commercial flights were checked as well. Nobody with Damien's description boarded a flight during that time."

"Let's just not rule it out entirely, okay? She might be there," Josh almost pleaded.

"We won't rule it out _yet_," Nate said. "Meanwhile, we now have the _entire_ state of California and the Coastline of New York to search."

"Let's start with California," Josh said.

"I thought you were all for New York?" Jake asked.

"Well, I was and I still am. California just seems more logical now that you think about it. I mean, the farther away from us, the better for him. Right?"

"He's right. He'd want to be farther away from us," Nate interjected.

"Great, so we're going?" Josh asked, excitement in his voice.

"If we need to, yes," Nate answered. "Before you get all excited, let me check and see if he even _has_ a place there."

"He has a place there?" Jake questioned when he saw the result.

"Apparently, he does," Nate told Jake and Josh. "A condo on the shore line."

"So, we're going, then?" Josh asked. It was clear he wanted to.

"Yeah, I guess we _have_ to go now," Nate said.

"When do we leave?" Josh asked, excited now that they were actually going to _follow_ a lead.

"If we're lucky, three hours," Nate told them. "I'll make the reservations. Go home and pack. Be back here in an hour."

…...

_11/7/10; 2_

_ We're going to leave soon. I'll finally be able to see where I am. Maybe it'll be New York. I've never been there before and I've always wanted to go. The only real planned thing I'd do is go to the Brooklyn Bridge and just scream off it. Of course, I'd have my NCIS ID and badge with me, so I wouldn't get in _too_ much trouble. Just a warning and then I'm off the hook. Oh, Damien's calling, time to go._

…...

"You guys ready?" Nate asked Josh and Jake a couple hours later.

"Yeah," they answered.

"Let's go then. We got a flight to catch."

A few hours later, after the flight and the waiting. For Josh, the waiting was the worst. Every minute he spent waiting was another minute Tiffany was with _him_. The murder, the kidnapper, the framer.

"Oh, I'd _love_ to insult him in Irish," Josh muttered. He smiled. That was a little bit of a joke between him, Tiffany, Nate, Jake, and Caitlin. Tiffany always laughed when someone would make one of them mad and they'd tell the other how much they'd want to insult them in Irish. Josh really missed her.

Finally, they were at their hotel. They had a suite with three bedrooms for the couple nights they'd be there.

"Well, you guys wanna go there now or later?" Nate asked, although he didn't need to. He already knew Josh's answer.

"Now," Josh answered, just as Nate predicted he would.

They'd arrived at Damien's condo not even ten minutes from when they left their hotel _room_.

"Nice choice of hotel, Nate. Close to the location of interest," Jake said.

"Let's stop standing around talking and start doing something," Josh said.

The three of them were wearing bullet proof vests, just in case, and carried 40 cals. They really didn't want to use them, but they had them none the less. The trio approached the door and, ignoring common courtesy, busted the door inwards and started searching. And they found... _nothing_. Absolutely _nothing_. More importantly, no _people_. There were no signs that anyone was living there, nor was there any sign that anyone had been here recently. San Francisco had just been ruled out as the location of Tiffany and her captor.

_Great_ Josh thought to himself. _ We just wasted a day. I had to insist we went to California, even though they probably wouldn't be here. I feel like a moron_. "So now what?" he asked aloud.

"No real reason to stay here, might as well go home tomorrow," Jake said.

"Why not today?" Josh asked.

"The room's already payed for, and I don't know about you, but I definitely can't do another transcontinental flight today. Let's just rest and enjoy the day," was the response.

"Alright, we'll stay," Josh replied grudgingly. He wasn't really given much of an alternative.

They stayed the night in California, then packed up and left the hotel early the next morning. The flight back to D.C. was worse than the flight from, if that was possible. It seemed longer, even though it wasn't because of the time change. It was actually shorter, but it was longer for Josh because he felt like he'd screwed up. He wasted two _days_ of searching based on a hunch that had almost nothing supporting it. When they finally landed in D.C., Josh said bye to Nate and Jake, then went home for the night. Jake and Nate also went to their houses after they got off the flight. Tomorrow, they'd find where on the Atlantic Coast of New York Tiffany Sutton was being held as a prisoner.

…...

_11/7/10; 3_

_ HARLEM! That's where I am; Harlem, NY. I always wanted to come here. A lot of the stories I write for fun are set here. And now I get to see it firsthand. I got my netbook today. I'll try to get him to take me back around town tomorrow. He'll let me, because my being here isn't to punish me, so he'll probably let me. I'm typing this on my netbook. Tomorrow, I'm going to mail a letter to NCIS for them, saying where I am. Hopefully, they'll get it. I can only pray. Now, time to write a story and listen to _Iron Maden_._


	4. Chapter 3: Harlem, NY

Backlash: Chapter 3: Harlem, NY

_11/8/10_

_ We're going back into town today. I'm going to try to mail a letter to NCIS. Maybe they'll be able to find me with it. I gleamed the address when I came back yesterday, not the street name but the numerical part of the address. That should help them. I think I'm close to my rescue. All I can do is pray they find me before I go insane. All I can think about is how Josh must be feeling. He really loves me, so he's got to have been driven mad by now. I can't wait to see his face once I'm rescued. He will receive the biggest tackle-hug ever to be given to a member of the opposite gender. _

…...

The next day, the trio was in the squad room researching Damien. They were trying to find out if he had any places in New York. Unfortunately, he happened to own _six_ different houses scattered across the state.

"That's great," Josh said sarcastically. "We have six places in six different cities scattered across the state of New York that could be a potential place that she could be held at."

"Well, it's more than we had," Nate said optimistically. "We have six specific locations where she could be."

"Still, where do we start?" Josh asked.

"Well, we wait a day and see if we get anything. If we do, we'll act. If not, we'll wait until we get something concrete," Jake said.

"Okay, I guess that's gonna be the best course of action," Josh said resentfully.

"Now, we wait," Nate said.

"For the next few hours, Nate, Josh, and Jake just sat around the office, not doing much of anything productive. Nate read, Jake listened to music, and Josh played a game on his iPod, desperately in need of the small distraction.

…...

_11/8/10; 2_

_ We're back from town. I managed to mail the letter and when I glanced back over my shoulder, the mailman was there picking up the mail. Damien's attention happened to be focused on a weapon display in a store window at the time, so he didn't notice when I mailed it. Why he's so interested in being like a ninja I don't know, and I don't think I ever will. I'll occasionally hear wood splintering and, sometimes, the sound of something breaking and some swearing. Stupid ninja obsession._

...

Still, no productivity occurred over the day. They eventually decided that, as they heard nothing new, they'd try a little more research.

"Why is it when we try and do research, we either come up with the same information or nothing at all?" Josh asked.

"I don't know. We've been at this for over two hours with no new information. I think we should call it a day. Besides, it late," Nate said.

"Okay," Josh said with a disappointed tone.

"See you guys in the morning," Nate told them.

"See ya," Jake and Josh responded simultaneously.

Nate left, followed shortly after by Josh and Jake.

…...

_11/9/10_

_ I really hope they got my letter. If they did, I might be rescued tomorrow at the earliest. Heck, if they got it, I _would_ be rescued tomorrow. If I know Josh, he won't stop until I'm rescued and Damien either locked up or dead. I hope he gets locked up because being sentenced to life is worse than death. All I have to do now is wait. Maybe we can stay an extra day or two here afterwards. You know, see the sights and all. Maybe _that_ will keep me sane; the prospect of actually seeing Harlem and actually exploring the city and not being on a guided tour is fantastic_

…...

Josh, Nate, and Jake came in early the next morning. As usual, Nate had beat them there.

"Just what time do you _get_ here?" Josh inquired.

"Early. I've been here for about half an hour," Nate answered.

"Mail's still sitting on your desk," Jake observed.

"I wanted to wait for you guys to get here before opening it because of the sender. How she sent it is a mystery,"

"How who sent what?" Josh asked. He thought he already knew the answer, but didn't want to get too excited just in case he was wrong.

"How Tiffany sent this letter," was the response. Josh was right, he smiled.

"Well, we're all here, so open it up already and let's see what she has to say," Josh said, his voice surprisingly calm given the circumstances.

Nate opened the letter and the three of them began to read to themselves the letter from Tiffany.

_11/8/10_

_ Josh, Nate, and Jake,_

_ I hope you got this. I'm about to go crazy here. I'm in the basement of Damien's house that's along the Atlantic Coast. Guess where I am. I'm in HARLEM! Harlem, NY. I couldn't tell what the street name is, but the address is 215. You guys gotta come get me. Anytime during the day, I can hear the sound of wood hitting wood and usually hear the sound of wood splintering. Even the occasional sound of breaking glass followed by some swearing. Anyway, I won't bore you with anymore details until I see you guys again. Hope it's soon. Oh, by the way, there's a Black Ford Mustang in Damien's driveway. It's his. That's how I got here so quickly, that thing is _fast_!_

_ Your Friend,_

_Tiffany_

"At least we know she's safe," Nate said after he'd finished reading.

"We know where she is! We need to go and get her!," Josh almost yelled in excitement. After days without her, Josh finally heard from Tiffany.

"Let's go then. But we're not going to get her until _tomorrow_," Nate said, emphasizing tomorrow. "We need to plan. Figure out how we're going to get her back."

"We can talk on the plane," Josh said. "We should go get her _today_."

"We'll go early tomorrow morning for the rescue. We'll leave now to go to Harlem," Jake said. "Grab your carry on again. That was a good idea, having a bag packed in the car, just in case."

The trio set out for the airport to go to New York for a rescue mission.

…...

A few hours later, the small group was settled in their hotel room in Harlem.

"Alright, what'd be the best way to do this?" Nate asked.

"We go in, bust some serious Damien-butt, grab my girlfriend, and get the heck outta dodge," Josh offered, pounding his fist into his open hand for emphasis.

"We'll call that plan B. Meanwhile, let's make a plan that _doesn't_ involve death," Nate said. "Any ideas?"

"We go after him at dawn and surprise him. We grab Tiffany and arrest Damien for double homicide. How's that?" Jake suggested.

"Fine. But if that fails, we're gonna do it my way," Josh said.

"It's late, let's go to sleep. We gotta be up by 05:00. Night," Nate said.


	5. Chapter 4: The Rescue

Backlash: Chapter 4: The Rescue

_11/10/10_

_ It's official: I've lost my mind. Heck, anyone would if they'd been stuck in a basement for days on end. I've lost track of time; everything just seems to blur together. I hope they find me soon. I can't wait to see Josh's smiling face again. When I see him again, he _will_ be tackle hugged. I'm pretty sure I've memorized _all_ of the lines from the movies I've watched while I'm here and _all_ of the lyrics to my _Tokio Hotel_ songs. Come on guys, where are you?_

…...

They were up before the crack of dawn. It was ten minutes by foot and five minutes, if that, by car. They decided to drive, but park a block away. Maybe they'd get lucky and be able to drag Damien back to D.C. for prosecution.

"Are you _sure_ we can't just do this my way?" Josh asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure. We don't want him dead, we want him _alive_," Nate said. "You can't exactly successfully incriminate a dead man."

"_Fine_," Josh said resentfully. "But if this doesn't work, we _will_ do it my way."

"Fair enough," Nate told him. "Now, enough talking. Let's go do what we came here to do."

And they were on their way to rescue Tiffany and, hopefully, arrest Damien as well.

X X X

Ten minutes later, the trio was standing outside Damien's house.

"When do we make our move?" Jake asked.

"NOW!" Josh exclaimed.

"I agree," Nate said. "For the sake of whatever's left of her sanity, the sooner the better."

Josh was excited now; they were finally going to get his girlfriend back from _him_.

"Let's go then," Jake said.

They made their move, walking up to the front door and plowing through it as if it were made of butter. Damien was waiting for them. He was just sitting on his brown couch like nothing was wrong.

"Took you long enough to find me," Damien said. "Get lost a few times?"

"Oh shut up!" Josh yelled at him. "Where is she?"

"Somebody's got a temper," Damien observed.

"Can I just shoot him?" Josh asked, annoyed at Damien.

"No, we need him alive," Jake said.

"Not even in the foot?"

"If he tries to rabbit on us, yes. But it _can't_ kill him. Otherwise, _no_."

Josh smiled. "WHERE IS SHE?" he shouted at Damien.

"Basement," was his one word reply.

"Jake, stay here and watch him. Josh, go get your girlfriend back," Nate instructed them.

If it was possible, Josh's smile stretched from ear to ear. He ran off, followed shortly after by Nate.

"You're under arrest for kidnapping the director of a federal agency. Hands behind your back..." Jake was almost yelling at Damien, but he was cut off as Nate walked out of earshot. As he walked down the stairs to the door, Josh had his weapon aimed at the door handle.

"Don't shoot it. Unless you want to scare her half to death," Nate said softly so as not to startle Josh and cause him to fire. "Just kick down the door. It's easier, slightly quieter, and won't scare as much as a gunshot."

Josh obliged and door down. When they entered the room, they were greeted by Tiffany's startled expression, which turn ecstatic when she saw Josh, whom she then tackled to the ground.

"Uh, what was that for?" Josh asked her.

"It's a tackle hug, silly," she replied

"Can I get up now?"

"Yeah, sorry."

They got up and hugged. It was then that she noticed Nate standing in the threshold of the door.

_Thank you_ she mouthed at him. Nate just nodded and gave her a smile. He then left to give the two of them a chance to catch up.

"It's so good to see you again," Tiffany told him.

"Same here," Josh replied.

"How are you?"

"Pretty good. You?"

"Shaken up a bit."

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little unnerved."

"Josh, Tiffany, get up here fast," Nate yelled from upstairs. They ran up the stairs after grabbing Tiffany's few possessions from the small room. The sight that greeted them was that Nate kneeling on the floor next to Jake's unmoving body, shaking his shoulders and shouting, "Jake, _wake up_!"

"What happened?" Josh asked.

"He got away," Nate said unhappily.

"_How_?" they asked him.

"I don't know. He apparently knocked Jake out before he had a chance to cuff him and he _ran_," was the dismal reply.

"Uhh, oww. Where am I?" Jake asked, sounding half asleep.

"Damien's house in Harlem," Nate told him.

"Where's Damien?"

"He got away."

"How?"

"I was hoping you could tell me."

"I...," Jake started before he got a glassy look in his eyes, which quickly faded. "I remember now."

_ "Hands behind your back," Jake told Damien._

_ "It won't work, you know," Damien calmly told Jake._

_ "What won't work?"_

_ "Arresting me."  
"Yes it will."_

_ "No, it won't," Damien said. He got up and threw a punch at Jake._

_ "Really? You're going to _fight_ me?"_

_ "Uh, yeah."_

_ "You won't...," Jake said before Damien, quick like a ninja, moved behind him and struck a blow to the back of Jake's head. Jake didn't even have time to blink, much less defend himself. While Jake was out cold on the floor, Damien left and got in his car. He drove north, the last place NCIS would look for him. He was 30 miles away by the time Nate found Jake out cold on the floor._

"That's close to what happened between Damien and I at Tiffany's," Josh said. "He definitely has his own fighting style."

"If underhanded knockouts can constitute a style," Nate commented.

"So now what do we do now?" Josh asked.

"We go back to D.C., rest for a day or two, then start a search," Nate said.

"Mustang's gone," Tiffany observed as they left the building.

"He probably took it because it'd be easier to track him from the contents and the built in sat nav system," Nate explained.

"The what system?" she asked.

"Satalite navigation system," he simplified. Upon seeing a puzzled look on her face, he simplified it even further. "Built in GPS."

"Oh."

"We'd be able to see where's he's been in his car. Make it _very_ easy to track him."

"Can we possibly stay here for a few days?" Tiffany asked.

Quite possibly only a handful of people knew what she'd want to do in Harlem. Nate and Josh were included in that handful.

"Go ahead. But you have to take Josh with," Nate responded, knowing he'd eventually cave if he said no and she started to beg. Only two people he knew had that ability: Tiffany and Caitlin. Caitlin's was worse than Tiffany's in that it takes most people a matter of seconds to cave.

"Thanks! Come on, Josh. We're going sightseeing and then a quick trip to Brooklyn."

"Wait, you may want these," Nate told her, handing over a gun, wallet, and cell phone. "You left them at home. You're going to want the badge for Brooklyn."

"Let's go!" Tiffany and Josh left in pursuit of sightseeing, while Nate took Jake back to the hotel room and set him in bed. Nate, having a few hours to kill, decided to wander into town for an hour. He left a note on the bedside table and left.

. . .

Roughly four hours later, Tiffany and Josh came back from sightseeing. Nate was sitting on the couch watching _Psych_.

"Hey," Nate said

"Hey," they replied simultaneously.

"Where's Jake?" Tiffany asked.

"Resting from his incident with Damien."

"Still?"

"Yeah, he came back, laid down in his bed, and went out like a light."

"When do we leave for D.C.?" Josh asked, changing the subject.

"Uh, tomorrow, if you guys want."

"Sure, that'll work."

They packed their bags and went to sleep. At around 06:00 the next day, they left for the airport. At 09:00, they arrived in D.C., but not after they spent at least half that time waiting. They went to their respective houses to get some sleep and show up for work nice and early the next morning. The question running though everyone's head; _Where is Damien now?_


	6. Epilogue

Backlash: Epilogue

*A/N: This will also be the Prologue for my next story, _Takedown. Takedown_ will be the last story in the _Frame-Up Trilogy_._*_

In a small town in Maine near the Canadian border, a man who looks to be about 32, is sitting in a restaurant void of people besides himself and the person working there.

"How far is it to the border?" he asked the worker.

"About 30 minutes, give or take. Why?"

"I'm thinking about visiting and I'm new to the area."

"Where are you from?"

"New York."

"Nice, New York."

"I'm done with my dinner, thank you. How much?"

"Uh, $6.79 is your total."

"Here you go, keep the change."

The man from New York left, got in his Black Ford Mustang, and drove toward the border. He could only think about the girl he loved years ago; what could've happened; where they could have gone. _I miss her _he thought. His thoughts were anywhere but here. He remembered moonlit walks along the bay. Before he knew it, he was at the border gates. The wait was half an hour, but it would be worth it to get to a place where he could hide.When he got there, he was asked for his passport and drivers license.

"What's your name?" the attendant asked as he accepted the man's credentials.

A pause before, "Damien Martin."


End file.
